Paper-box machine



(No Model.)

F. D. HARPER. PAPER BOX MACHINE.

No. 498,975. Patented June 6, 1893.

limiter) STATES PATENT Clarione FRED D. HARPER, OF IVOONSOGKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE OUSHMAN PAPER BOX MACHINE COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

PAPER-BOX MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,975, dated June 6, 1893. Application filed May 12, 1892. Serial No. 432,710. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED D. HARPER, of WVoonsocket, county of Providence, State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Paper-Box Machines, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

United States Letters Patent No. 418,690, dated January 7, 1890, show and describe a machine for automatically making boxes and covers from blanks fed into the machine, the said machine among other features containing what is denominated as wetters to, wet each blank at its under side in the lines in which it is to be folded over on its arrival at the former. In the machine described in the said patent, the wetters have an intermitting rising and falling movement, and they wet the box blank in the lines where it is to be folded by one stroke.

1 have, by experiment, found that the blank may be wet by sliding it along against and under a stationary wetter, and I have therefore devised a wetter in such manner that it may be used either alone to wet the blanks in the line in which they are to be folded for the ends of the boxes, or so that it may be employed as an additional wetting device to supplement the action of the wetters in the said patented machine, it being advantageous in many classes of board used for boxmaking, to moisten or wet the same not only at its lower but at its upper side in the line of the folds.

In accordance with this invention I have devised two pipes to contain a liquid, and have closed the lower ends of the pipes with a suitable conductor of liquid such as a sponge, cloth, or a brush, and I have mounted these tubes on the machine in such manner as to enable them to be adjusted so as to touch the blank at the proper points and apply water to it in the line in which the blank is to be folded, said tubes being fed with water slowly from a suitable tank.

I have combined the devices referred to with the wetters and track of the machine represented in said patent.

- Figure 1 of the drawings, shows in section a sufficient portion of the machine represented in said United States Patent No. 418,690, with my improvements added to enable my invention to be understood; and Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the apparatus added by me.

Referring to the drawings, the bed plate A; the plate A; the track B to support the blank during its passage through the machine; the plates I) forming part of the blank feeding device; the short section of track a; the wetting devices 12 composed of fibrous material and carried bya skeleton arm b attached to a spindle b and adapted to be raised and lowered in the vat or pan E; the paste-pans E 5 and the pasters therein carried by spindle 0 are and may be all substantially as represented in the said patent, and in operation, the said wetters when elevated will contact with the under sideof the undermost blank of a pile of blanks in practice guided just above the wetters, and the wet blank, acted upon by a suitable feeder common to the said patent, but partially shown herein, is fed forward to a folding contrivance consisting chiefly of a former and a head and side and end wipers.

As herein represented, I have connected to the foot of the yoke 71 common to the said patent, suitable standards 10 upon which I have supported a suitable liquid tank 12, the latter being provided with suitable cocks or valves 13, suitably shaped to discharge water in regulated quantities into the funnels 14 at the upper ends of the tubes 15 provided at their lower ends with suitable liquid conducting material such as sponge, fibrous ma terial, or bristles, so that water let into the tubes 15 will be delivered slowly from. the conducting material at the lower ends thereof directly upon the upper side of the blank as the latter is being fed from the pile of blanks into position to be acted upon by the former Y and made into a box.

The pipes 15 are represented as connected to or forming parts of arms 17 pivoted at 18 p upon arms 19 adjustably attached to some stationary part of the frame-work by screws 20, so that the said tubes may be adjusted more or less and thereby enable the water 5 supplied by them to be deposited upon the upper side of the box blank in the line in which it is to be folded.

The cocks and the funnels have placed'be: tween them preferably a flexible section as 22 composed of india rubber or equivalent tubing so as to further facilitate the adjustment of the upper wetters 15, 16.

Prior to my invention I am not aware that a box blank has been wet at its upper side in the line in which it was to be. subsequently creased, by drawing or feeding the blank under the wetters; nor am I aware in any ma chine for making box blanks, that both sides of the paper have been moistened or wet in the line. of fold.

I have not herein deemed it necessary to show fully the box blankfeeding devices, a portion of which is represented only by the letter b", nor the forming device or devices for foldingthe blank in the lines in which the same is moistened, asv the-said devices are fully shown and described in the said patent.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a box-making machine, the combination with tubes provided at their lower ends with water conducting material such as described, supports, comprising pivoted arms, for said tubes, adjusting devices for said supports whereby the position of said tubes may be changed, and water supplying means cooperating with the said tubes, substantially as described.

2. In a machine formaking paper boxes, the combination with wetters to wet the under side of the blank in the lines in which it is folded, of wetters to wet the upper side of the blank, said wetters above a-nd belowthe blank being in substantially'the same Vertical plane, to operate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

F. D. HARPER.

Witnesses:

H.- ORCHARD, CHAS. PARRISH. 

